Nominated by President Obama in 2009, Thomas Perez serves as the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Perez previously served as secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, which protects consumers through the enforcement of a wide range of consumer rights laws. Perez was a principal architect of a sweeping package of state lending and foreclosure reforms to address the foreclosure crisis in Maryland.

The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin.

Perez has spent his entire career in public service. This event is sponsored by the Amercian Constitution Society.